A member of the Jharkhand steering committee of the social audit unit of the rural development department has sought the Centre’s intervention in ensuring punitive action over irregularities found during a concurrent audit of work under MGNREGA 2021-22 in the state.

James Herenz, who is one of the members of the committee, wrote to secretary in the Union rural development ministry N.N. Sinha on Sunday and attached the concurrent social audit report that reveals that only 25 per cent of the workers were found at the sites where projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) were underway in Jharkhand.

“As per total muster roll issued while conducting concurrent social audit, 1,59,608 workers were supposed to be found working at the worksites but only 40,629 (25.45 per cent) of workers were actually found working at the worksites. Names of 1,787 people were not found on the muster rolls, but they were working at the sites,” the letter informs.

A total of 29,059 schemes were verified in 1,118 panchayat areas in all the 24 districts of Jharkhand by the audit, which was completed in October and was submitted a few days back to the state rural development department.

“There are 36 projects where definite evidence has been found of work been done by JCB excavator machines (prohibited under MGNREGA). Around 85 projects were detected where muster rolls have not been created at all but work has been started,” the letter points out.

The letter also states that in social audits from 2017 onwards, nearly 94,000 cases of irregularities involving a misappropriation of Rs 54 crore had been pointed. But state rural development officials seem reluctant in realising the penalty from offenders, the letter adds.

“The state government has also failed to recruit MGNREGA Lokpals in the state, which has hindered the complaint grievance redress mechanism. It clearly shows that MGNREGA projects are being controlled by corrupt officials and contractors,” the letter states.

The letter requests Sinha, who is a Jharkhand cadre IAS, to demand an action taken report from the Jharkhand rural development department based on the social audit report.

Jharkhand NREGA commissioner Rajeshwari B. said social audit work was continuing and expressed ignorance about receiving any concurrent social audit report.

“The social audit reports are not given to us, it is submitted to panchayat-, block- and district-level officers for necessary legal action. We have asked the respective deputy development commissioners in all districts to take action based on the findings of the concurrent social audits. As of now, I have not received any audit report,” the commissioner said.